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#267 | Wednesday, November 21st 2001
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I was in the Arts building in Miami-Dade Community College, casually walking passed a crowded television to my Literature class. This being the first time I've seen any type of crowd gathered around a television, I, being Curious George, stopped to see what all the fuss was about. The first shot I saw was the first building in flames and smoke. My jaw hit the floor. Graciously, good ol' NBC was kind enough to show footage of the first plane blasting itself through the first tower over, and over, and over, and over. My jaw remained dropped for so long I choked a bit as I closed my dry mouth. I promptly went to class, where the teacher was in near tears. What can you say? Everybody has been effected by this tragedy. Class consisted of watching the TV for another 20 minutes before we gave up being students and became human beings. Most of us left. A few of us remained. Nobody spoke. I heard a few "this is fucked up" lines, but that's about it.
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Blake | 21 |
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#247 | Sunday, November 11th 2001
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I was in my Compuer and Information Systems class, sitting having coffee, and reading my Washington Post waiting for class to start. One of my classmates came in and starrte to complain about the administationa the admin. at the University. We talked for a while and then one of our other classmates came in and asked us if we had heard about the World Trade Center and Pentagon. She said that somethign had happened on the national mall as well. One of my other classmates said that she had heard about it, but it was probbly not big deal. As they starrted talking, I dismissed it as a silly rumor. Afterall, nothing like that could happen in America.
Our prof. came ina starrted to teach. He was half way through computer op systems when one of our clasmates came in with a small tv. We all gathered around and watched the footage of the plane crashign into the trade center. The time was 9.55 am.
My first thoughts were for my co-workers and friends that worked in the Pentagon. In a matter of minutes, a new America had been born
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Josh | 21 | District of Columbia
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#221 | Saturday, October 27th 2001
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I was in bed at nine o´clock when my dad woke me up to tell me about the crashes at the WTC. I got out of bed in a hurry and watched the replay on TV about five times. It was hard to believe it really happened. At first it looked like a Hollywood movie.
It was scary especially because less than a month before, I´d been in NYC to get my visa for my study abroad this year, and my dad had showed me the sights, including the WTC. He actually said in jest, "This is the number one target of terrorists." I wasn´t even interested in seeing the towers at the time--NYC was just too crazy for me, and I longed to go back home to my small town in PA.
The plane that crashed in Somerset, PA, is about an hour´s drive from my house. One of the cell phone´s 911 calls was actually made to my local 911 center. When I later that day told my 16-year-old sister that, it really hit home for her: this was in our own backyard.
My mother was really concerned about me studying abroad in Spain, but since I´ve gotten here in early October, I haven´t had any problems telling people that I´m American. I´ve gotten nothing but positive, supportive comments from the locals about what happened. Two other American girls were subjected to some jokes by French exchange students here, but otherwise, I haven´t heard anything negative. The hardest part about getting to Spain was riding that plane, especially since my flight left from Dulles. I didn´t relax until two hours into the flight. I was scared of being hijacked, even though I knew that really, my fear was irrational. Obviously, this hasn´t affected me the way that it has affected thousands of other lives, but it still had an impact on my life.
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DeeAnn | 21 | Pennsylvania
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#189 | Saturday, October 6th 2001
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It was a little after seven in the morning when the phone rang. I remember it only because I was jolted out of my dream-like state. I didn't make an effort to answer it since I figured my roommate would, which he did, since it only rang once. I attempted to roll over and go back to sleep, but knowing that my alarm was due to go off at any minute kept that from happening. I decided to get up, wandering around the apartment as I usually did every morning. My roommate had left, leaving no phone message, so I assumed the phone call had been a wrong number or something.
I wandered back into my bedroom and flipped on the television, again, out of habit, only instead of seeing the smiling faces of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, I saw the World Trade Center with smoke billowing out of each tower. I was in a daze, my brain still not completely awake. I tried desperately to process what I was seeing. I was transfixed by the images, even more horrified when one of the towers fell. Then I heard, although barely, since I was in such shock, the words of the newscasters. Two planes had crashed into the towers and there was word that another had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. It was then that my heart stopped. My parents and brother were supposed to fly back from Washington D.C. that day.
My cell phone rang and I answered it with trembling hands. It was my roommate, asking me if I'd heard from my parents yet. He kept telling me to turn on the TV. I could only manage to choke out that I had. He told me over and over to call them. I hung up with him and attempted to make that call, not succeeding at first due to tied up phone lines. When I finally got through, I was instantly put through to the voicemail on my parents' cell phone. I hung up, praying. I paced the apartment, praying. I went through my daily morning routine, praying . . . until my phone finally rang. My family was safe. I cried with relief.
The rest of the day was a blur. I pass LAX every day to get to school. It was strange to see no life at all at the airport, every plane grounded. It was also strange to drive to school and see police cars as far as the eye could see. We were all on edge that day, not sure if the attack was over, not sure if we would somehow be attacked on the West Coast.
In the weeks since September 11th, life has pretty much returned to "normal," although I know that "normal" will never be what it once was. I have the utmost faith that we will pull together and get through this, but at the same time, I can't help but be afraid of what the future holds.
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Sara | 21 | California
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#154 | Monday, September 24th 2001
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I was at School at the Corcoran......one block from the White House when we were evacuated under word of the secret Service. We were told that there was a plane on its way to the White House and we should all go home....too bad my home is an appartment highrise in Downtown DC....close to the white house. Later that night I went to the Pentagon to see it for myself..... It still doesn't seem real....
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nicole | 21 | District of Columbia
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